In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on April 4, 2025:
Black Country, New Road, Forever Howlong
Black Country, New Road have released Forever Howlong, their first studio album following the departure of frontman Isaac Wood. With bassist Tyler Hyde, May Kershaw, and Georgia Ellery trading lead vocals, the band’s third LP achieves a different kind of complexity – and uplift – by dividing itself through each member’s songwriting inclinations. It was previewed by the singles ‘Besties’, ‘Happy Birthday’, and ‘For the Cold Country’.
The Ophelias, Spring Grove
The Ophelias are back with a new album, the Julien Baker-produced Spring Grove. They tracked the album over ten days at Young Avenue Sound in Memphis in 2021, the year after the release of their last album Crocus. “It feels like the completion of a years-long aim,” vocalist Spencer Peppet said in our interview. “And I think that a lot of that was just finally knowing what we wanted and being able to say that the guitar should sound so crunchy, or it should be more guitar-led, or have really forward bass, or keep the violin kind of on the lower end of the notes until we get to this one part. It feels like we locked in with what we wanted and were able to really do it for real.”
Florist, Jellywish
New York indie-folk outfit Florist have unveiled their fifth studio album, Jellywish, which homes in on the tender minimalism and escapism of their previous work. “Jellywish believes in the incredible magic within us and around us here in this reality, and the potential for a beautiful and symbiotic Earth if we do not turn away from what is evil but instead challenge it and stand up for what is not,” bandleader Emily Sprague explained. “It is meant to be a gentle but firm nudge to think about, and deconstruct the parts of our world which do not serve us all equitably; systems of power and control which can harm, destroy, box us in to ridiculous constructs, and take away anyone or anything’s right to a free and happy life. From the self to the collective consciousness, Jellywish asks us to look inside, outside, every which side, to remember love and empathy, caregiving, and the vigilant rejection of systemic harm towards our planet and the beings inhabiting it.”
Jane Remover, Revengeseekerz
Jane Remover‘s Revengeseekerz, which never got a proper release date, has arrived. JR wrote, performed recorded, mixed, and mastered in the record Chicago this winter, and it’s a blast all the way through. The follow-up to 2023’s Census Designated features the early singles ‘JRJRJR’ and ‘Dancing With Your Eyes Closed’, as well as a guest spot from Detroit rapper Danny Brown on the frenzied ‘Psychoboost’. “The radio I sleep to glitches, my dreams give me nausea,” the artist sings on ‘Fadeoutz’, capturing the ethos of the record. “Stumbling at the show, fans walking in on me vomiting.”
Lily Seabird, Trash Mountain
Lily Seabird’s stunning new album, Trash Mountain, is named after a pink house sitting on a decommissioned landfill site at the back of Burlington’s Old North End, which the singer-songwriter has called home for several years now. “I was just singing out thinking about that – a place that could have so much beauty to me, and so much sense of community, but then it has that name,” Seabird said in our Artist Spotlight interview. “I’d be constantly thinking about the climate crisis and pollution and late-stage capitalism, just the state of the world, and I sing a lot about – this time of year, all the garbage people have thrown on the side of the road comes out of the snow and is just there. So there’s lots of trash around, and it just seems like a palpable metaphor to me.”
DJ Koze, Music Can Hear Us
DJ Koze has released Music Can Hear Us, his first album in seven years, via his imprint Pampa Records. Described as “a 64-minute return trip to space,” the playful, idiosyncratic, and at times pensive follow-up to 2018’s Knock Knock features guest appearances from Damon Albarn, Sofia Kourtesis, Soap&Skin, Ada, Sophia Kennedy, the Notwist’s Markus Acher, and Marewrew.
Sleigh Bells, Bunky Becky Birthday Boy
Sleigh Bells have returned as rambunctious and bombastic as ever with Bunky Becky Birthday Boy, their first album in over three years, and as to the title. “‘Bunky Becky’ was a nickname for Alexis’ dog Riz, who passed away in December 2023,” Derek Miller explained in a statement. “When she passed away, Alexis and I had been talking about writing an anthem for her. And then Alexis’ son Wilder was born, and he’s the birthday boy. Even though the title sounds a little ridiculous – and it’s totally okay to laugh at it — with a little bit of context, it’s actually life and death. We lost somebody that we love, and we gained somebody that we love.”
Craig Finn, Always Been
The Hold Steady bandleader Craig Finn has released Always Been, a shimmering embrace of an album that was produced by Adam Granduciel of the War on Drugs. Kathleen Edwards and Sam Fender also contribute vocals on the LP, which follows 2022’s A Legacy of Rentals. “I believe this to be the most narrative record I have made,” Finn said in a press release. “Most songs concern a protagonist who pursued a career as a clergyman despite a lack of faith. The record tells the story of his rise and fall and redemption.”
Other albums out today:
Scowl, Are We All Angels; The Waterboys, Life, Death and Dennis Hopper; David Longstreth, Dirty Projectors & Stargaze, Song of the Earth; Djo, The Crux; L.A. Witch, Doggod; duendita, A Strong Desire to Survive; Barker, Stochastic Drift; Chy Cartier, No Bring Ins; Marlon Williams, Te Whare Tīwekaweka; Sister Ray, Believer; Walt McClements, On a Painted Ocean.
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